Delta Passenger Sentenced to Prison After Violent Mid-Air Fit

A Delta Airlines passenger has been sentenced to prison after a violent mid-air meltdown, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa announced in a news release.

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, Michigan native Mario Nikprelaj pled guilty to one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants. The incident, which secured Nikprelaj an 18 month sentence in federal prison, occurred last July during a SkyWest flight from Eppley Airfield in Omaha, NE, to Detroit. According to prosecutors, Nikprelaj began making trouble on Delta Connection Flight 3612 before it even departed the Nebraska airport. He refused to buckle his seatbelt, even after a flight attendant instructed him to do so, and subsequently made “disruptive and rude statements” to passengers and crew.

Nikprelaj 'Repeatedly' Harassed Passengers and Crew

During the plane’s ascent, Nikprelaj “stood up repeatedly” and “repeatedly took off his seat belt” as flight crew members told him to buckle back up. Nikprelaj “flipped off” an 80-year-old flight attendant who was instructing him to buckle up and then “poked the flight attendant in the chest. When other crew members told Nikprelaj they would summon the authorities if he did not comply, he threatened to kill the elderly flight attendant.

Nikprelaj eventually sat back down and, according to passengers and crew members, appeared to fall asleep before bolting awake and making haste for the emergency exit doors. At this point, passengers began pressing the emergency call button. The elderly flight attendant once again interceded, only to be physically assaulted by Nikprelaj and once again threatened with death. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Cedar Rapids, IA, for an emergency landing.

“As the plane was descending, Nikprelaj again stood up, took his shirt off, and began walking up and down the aisle,” prosecutors said.

Nikprelaj Has an Extensive Legal History

Three passengers stepped in to restrain Nikprelaj until the plane could safely land, but he also attacked them with punches and verbal threats. He was taken into custody once the aircraft landed. Authorities found on his person a prescription bottle which contained 41 Xanax tablets that had not been prescribed to him.

Nikprelaj, who has previous convictions for drug-related offenses, domestic violence, and assaulting a police officer, was charged with disorderly conduct; assault; possession of prescription medication; a tax stamp violation; and first-degree harassment, per the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Once Nikprelaj completes his 18-month sentence, he will serve a two-year term of supervised release.